How does this guy do these emulsion lifts?

BT28 · Dec 17, 2005

I've seen a lot of emulsion lifts but none quite like this. Usually they look kind of wrinkled and torn but this guy has his looking smooth and with no background. He mounted them on copper leaf. I really love the look. So my question is (and keep in mind I've never fooled around with a Polaroid though I find transfers/lifts interesting, but my knowledge of the process is VERY limited) how does he do it? Did he raise the lift and then cut around the image of the doll with scissors before putting it on the copper leaf. If so does he wait till the lift dries and then cuts it or did he cut it while it was still wet? But how did he get it to not have all those wrinkles? Also, if you wanted to isolate an image and apply the whole lift so that no background shows up (like in his pieces) if you photographed against say a white background does that appear more transparent. Not even sure that makes sense but hopefully someone will get what I'm saying.

Or did he just cut out his background all together. It sure looks like that's what he did. One more thing. What is the permanence like of these types of images. How long will they last? I've heard they fade very quickly in UV. What kind of varnishes can one use to protect them? Wonder if it's the same type of stuff that keeps the copper leaf from losing its shine. Here's a link to one of the images in the series I'm talking about:

terri · Dec 18, 2005

hmmm, if you meant to link to this artist's website, it's not working. Try again. It could be he explains his process there in more detail - have you checked?

I agree - terrific lift. I'm loving this copper leaf. :thumbup: Great texture and tone here!

Remember with emulsion lifts, you start with a fully developed Polaroid print in hand. So you can, indeed, cut out any parts you want to transfer and not use the entire print.

The emulsion is thin and friable, so it's easy to wrinkle it or tear it to distort it however you wish. However, you can use a brayer (rubber roller) to keep it smooth, too. Artist's preference.

BT28 · Dec 18, 2005

The artists name is Terry Towery. I tried to post a link to the specific series but I couldn't get it to work. Here's a link to his main page: http://www.timedia.com/
That must be what he did. He cut around the dry Polaroid before going through the process of "lifting" the emulsion. It's certainly intriguing work. He's also worked with Lazertran (for larger pieces). Does anyone have any idea how long these sorts of images will last and what kind of varnish can be used to protect them from UV light?

terri · Dec 18, 2005

If you produce a Polaroid emulsion lift under optimum conditions (using distilled water, acid free paper, etc), and apply a good UV protectant spray after the image has dried, it should last for years without showing signs of fading. :thumbup: Those Polaroid color dyes are amazing. Good protection and storage is a must, of course, like with any print.

markc · Dec 19, 2005

White is clear in the emulsion. The white in the Polaroid print comes from the white backing. When you do a lift, whatever you put it on will show through where there was white, so you don't have to do any cutting.

terri · Dec 19, 2005

Oh, another tidbit - you'll want to cut off the border, if trying for a look of this kind. They can turn either pink or blue with type 669 film. Sometimes leaving the border can add visual interest to the lift but, oftentimes, you'll not want to include it.